Before Purdue faced Michigan in the Big Ten Championship last season, the Boilermakers reportedly received information regarding the Wolverines’ signals.
Per reports, Purdue received Michigan’s offensive signals from Ohio State. Details regarding the defensive signals for Jim Harbaugh’s squad were allegedly handed out by Rutgers.
On Wednesday morning, Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports offered his opinion on this mess. He believes Purdue cheated just as much as Michigan did last season.
Even if Ohio State and Rutgers acquired Michigan signs via NCAA-legal game film or during game action, it doesn’t matter. Purdue didn’t do that work. The Boilermakers received stolen signs from advanced scouting. They cheated as much as Michigan.
Additionally, the Purdue person receiving the advanced scouting work was almost assuredly, at the very least, an assistant coach. The NCAA investigation, sources say, hasn’t found any proof anyone in Ann Arbor knew how Stalions got so good at deciphering signs. He apparently hid his act.
So why is the NCAA aggressively investigating Michigan but not Purdue and the others? Why is the Big Ten threatening to suspend Harbaugh indefinitely but doesn’t seem to care about anyone else?
Michigan and Purdue broke the exact same rule – they used advanced scouting to steal a future opponent’s signals.
Why does the NCAA and B10 only care about one of them?
From the Yahoo Sports Read & React newsletter. https://t.co/AgdkZuamg9 pic.twitter.com/WlddZpbhmx
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) November 8, 2023
The Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy states that it “expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship.”
Clearly, that hasn’t been the case in the Big Ten.